Galaxy Note Tips & Tricks

S Pen

Is LG Optimus G Pro an Alternative to Galaxy Note 2?

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galaxy-note2-vs-lg-optimus-g-proIt is not a secret that LG wants to step into the phablet market which is dominated by Samsung’s 5.3″ Galaxy Note and 5.5″ Galaxy Note 2. The 5″ rectangle slab, Optimus Vu, and Vu 2, announced last year, failed miserably to get into this niche market.

So, this year, LG Optimus G Pro was announced during Mobile World Congress 2013. It will be released in selected regions next month. This time LG gambles on the Optimus G branding. Will it be successful?

The eye-catching feature of this phone is its 5.5″ full HD IPS display. So, the targeted competitor of Optimus G Pro is not Galaxy S3 or recently announced Galaxy S4. LG actually wants this phone to be the alternative of Galaxy Note 2.

From the timing of the announcement, it can be easily deduced that  Galaxy Note 2 is the target. By releasing a handset in the middle of Galaxy Note 2 and the coming Note 3, Optimus G Pro can get about 6-month lead in hardware specifications against Note 2.

LG recently started to know how to design a great Android phone after they worked with Google for the Nexus 4. LG then transformed Nexus 4 into Optimus G, which is the most successful Android phone LG ever made.

Design and build quality

From the exterior, Optimus G Pro likes  a sibling of Galaxy Note 2. It is totally different from Optimus Vu or  Optimus G. Physical home button and two capacitive buttons for menu and back are similarly placed like that in  Galaxy Note 2. However, Optimus G Pro has slightly smaller side bezels.

For the back, LG also abandoned  the all-glass design spotted  in Optimus G. Plastic was chosen for Optimus G Pro. The build quality is similar to Note 2.

One thing that some people may like in Optimus G Pro is the Q Button. This is a dedicated button in the left side.  You can configure any  (but only one) app for this button. Of course, you can configure it as a camera button, just like many …

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Galaxy Note 8.0: the largest smartphone in the history!

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Galaxy Note family now has a new member: Galaxy Note 8.0.

galaxy-note-8It is different from Galaxy Note 10.1, which is clearly a tablet. It is simply a larger version of Galaxy Note 2, a giant phone.

So, this is a smartphone, at least, not a pure tablet. This can be easily identified by: 1). an earpiece and, 2).the iconic Home button and two navigation keys.

The major difference to Galaxy Note 2 is the odd location of the speaker. In Galaxy Note 8.0, it is in the bottom, not on the back. Designer may come from the Mars.

Specification wise, this is surely not a top-notch smartphone or tablet. It is merely a not-so-bad device, based on today’s standard. Under the hood, you get a 1.6GHz quad-core A9 processor (it should be a Exynos 4XXXX), a 2GB RAM, a 1280*800 PLS display, a 16/32GB storage, a 4600mAh battery.

The weight is only 338g, thanks to its full plastic exterior, except display and bezel. Typical Samsung style.

The good news for Galaxy Note and Note 2 users is now you finally can use S Pen  for the menu and back buttons. You also get a new reading mode to make your reading more comfortable.

The bad news is it runs on Jelly Bean 4.1.2 (just like most Note 2 and Note 10.1), not the latest 4.2.2. Disappointed, although you will very likely get the update later.

More disappointed, the battery is not removable.

The most disappointed: the main camera has no flash. So you can guess its quality. The 5MP tag reminds you the price is not in the cheap side.

However, if you compare this giant phablet with the tablet with similar form factor (e.g., iPad mini). It is actually quite decent.

So, the imaginary competitor of this Galaxy Note 8.0 is not smartphones, but 7-8″ tablets.

Samsung probably hopes this giant phone will be the king or queen in this form factor. This could have been true if the specifications were slightly elevated.

It looks stupid to hold this giant phone near …

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Top 10 expected features in Jelly Bean 4.1 update for Galaxy Note

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jb-new-logoWe all know Samsung has been working on Jelly Bean (4.1) update for Galaxy Note, although this Korean company never officially confirm or announce this update. The information we have is the update may be rolled out as early as in December. and most users will get it in Q1/2013. There is no information on Jelly Bean 4.2 update yet.

Anyway, the waiting is almost over. Now, let’s list the top 10 anticipated features in this Jelly Bean 4.,1 update for our more-than-one-year-old Galaxy Note. For Top 10 new features in ICS update, please read this post: http://www.allaboutgalaxynote.com/top-10-new-features-in-galaxy-note-after-ics-update/ 

All these features are available on Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Note 8.0 already.

1. Faster, smoother, and more responsive as claimed by Google

Thanks to Project Butter, one major improvement in Jelly Bean is the performance: faster, smoother and more responsive. Of course, I guess Samsung’s TouchViz UI may degrade the performance a bit. Some carriers’ bloatware may also have negative impact on the performance.

But overall, we should notice significant performance improvement.

2. Google Now

It is a shame that Google Now has not got sufficient attention. Google Now is a true innovation on getting relevant information on a mobile device. It makes you the master, not the salve, of the information. Just as claimed by Google, Google Now gets you just the right information at just the right time. If you do not have any Jelly Bean devices now, you may get more info on the Google Now offical site

3. Multi Window

Yes, you can run two apps side by side. Although very limited apps are compatible with multi window at this time, it is a really nice feature for a 5.3″ screen. Of course, this feature is best for Galaxy Note’s bigger brother Note 10.1.

4. Offline voice typing

In Jelly Bean, a new embedded speech recognizer lets you use Voice Typing even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

5. New notification system

The notification system will have significant improvements: more info and more controls. Notifications from the …

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Galaxy Note 2: the first Jelly Bean phone will reach your hands as early as this October

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GALAXY-Note-IIAs rumored  (or expected), Samsung announced the second generation of Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, at IFA 2012 yesterday. Now, the first Jenny Bean(out of box, not through update) phone.

So, here is a short list of changes (from Galaxy  Note to Galaxy Note 2):

  1. Jelly Bean  (aka, Android 4.1), vs Ginger Bread (Android 2.3). So Galaxy Note is the first Jelly Bean phone.
  2. 5.5 inch display, vs 5.3 inch
  3. 16:9 ratio (1280*720, HD), vs 16:10 *1280*800, WXGA)
  4. Quad core 1.6GHz CPU, vs dual core 1.4GHz or 1.5 GHz
  5. 2GB RAM, vs 1GB RAM;
  6. dimension: 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm, vs 151.1 x 80.5x 9.4mm
  7. 3100mAh battery, vs 2500mAh
  8. NFC is included, vs optional
  9. Bluetooth 4.0, vs 3.0
  10. New S Pen, longer, thicker
  11. New feature: Screen Recorder (record a whole sequence of actions taken on their screen). most useful!!!
  12. New feature: Popup Note (open an S Note instantly as a pop-up window anywhere on the screen)
  13. New feature: Quick Command ( quickly activate frequently used apps with the S Pen)
  14. New feature: Easy Clip (quickly outline and crop certain kinds of content on the screen)
  15. New feature: Idea Visualizer ( provides illustration images that match the handwritten keywords), too fancy!!
We hope Samsung will port some of these features into Galaxy Note!!!
The shipment will start from October. So, just wait one month, you may start to try.
What do you think about this new generation of Galaxy Note?
Here is the full press release. For your reading pleasure, I quote it below.
Be Creative, Be Expressive with the GALAXY Note II
August 29,  2012

 

The most powerful smartphone sparks everyone’s creative inspirations
BERLIN, Germany – August 29,  2012 – At the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event held today at IFA, in Berlin, Samsung introduced the GALAXY Note II, a whole new level of innovation for the GALAXY Note category. The new Samsung GALAXY Note II enables unique experiences in personalized and expressive content creation, making it the ultimate smartphone for on-the-go creativity.

 

“Last year at IFA, we launched the GALAXY Note, which opened
…

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S Note Tutorial: how to use productivity tools

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s-note-tutorial-productivity-toolsS Pen is something unique in our Galaxy Note. ICS (aka Android 4.0) update simply made our Note more useful with some new apps specially for S Pen. S Note is one of these new and interesting apps.

However, some Galaxy Note users are not sure how to use S Note, although, Samsung already includes the 6-page S Note tips, 6-page productivity tips, and 6 samples (not sure why Samsung guys like 6, 6=s) in the S Note app.

So, I created this tutorial to give you some idea how to use the productivity tools in S Note.

This tutorial works on all Note devices: Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Note 8.0.

For Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, this productivity tools is integrated into S Note app. So in the new S Note app, you can not find this tools directly. Please read this post for more info.

In the 8min 30s video (screen cast with audio), the following topics are covered:

  • 1). start and navigate through S Note;

  • 2). find and use the productivity tools button;

  • 3) handwriting to text;

  • 4). shape match;

  • 5). formula match;

  • 6) export S Note

Enjoy the video.

Tools used to create this video include:

More tutorials  for S Note app can be found here in  the S Note guide page.

More tips on Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Note 10.1 can be found in Tips and Tricks page.

Galaxy Note 3 online manual (HTML edition) is available here.

If you want to download the PDF version of Galaxy Note 3, Note Ii, Note 8.0. Note 10.1, or read the PDF version on line, you can find all of them in this User Manual page.…

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Top 10 new features in Galaxy Note after ICS update

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After the official release of ICS 4.0.3 update for Galaxy Note  in May and ICS 4.0.4 update last week, some users asked me what the new features are. Thanks to Samsung’s Touch Viz UI, most users will not visually find any changes after the update. Here I prepared the top 10 new features in your Galaxy Note after the ICS update.

Each update fixes some bugs and the performance should be improved, so we usually recommend users to apply the update, although some new problems may be reported, e.g. battery issues, RAM issues. Given the short lifespan (1-3 years) of samrtphones, it is impractical to wait for the perfect firmware.

In this post I will try to introduce you the features. I will create  tutorials for some of these features later.

1. Pop- up play (ICS 4.0.4 update is needed)

pop-up-play-galaxy-notePop up play was debuted on Galaxy S3  last May. In the Googl Play store, there are a few paid apps (e.g., Stick it! (Pop-up Player)) doing the similar job. What it does is quite simple, you can watch your video and use other apps at the same time. The video will be re-sized as thumbnail and you can move it to any locations on your screen. Pretty cool, right?

Of course, only the built-in video player support this. Once the video is open, you can find the re-sizing (or pop up play?) button in the top right corner. If you want to stop the video, just touch the video area and release your finger. If you want to go to full screen, you can long press the home button to get the task manager and open the video player.

Two limitations: 1). the size of the video cannot be adjusted, at lest I did not find any ways to adjust it; 2). If you want to go back to full screen, the video will be played from the beginning, not from where you stop in the pop up play mode. Thanks to julien for correcting me. (Tap the video,  it will go back to the full …

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CyanogenMod 9 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for Galaxy Note

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CyanogenModCyanogenMod is an aftermarket firmware distribution and CyanogenMod 9 is for  Android 4.0 (ICS). Now, there is a mostly workable distribution for Galaxy Note with S Pen support.

According the dedicated  forum thread of CyanogenMod 9 for Galaxy Note in XDA-Developers, almost everything works  except:

The good thing is the firmware works for both international version of Galaxy Note and the AT&T version.

Of course, CyanogenMod is for geeks and nerds. For most users, we are still waiting for the official ICS update for Galaxy Note due in this quarter (within less than 2 months if Samsung can keep the words.)…

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Ice Cream Sandwich will goes to Galaxy Note in Q2 of 2012

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Samsung-GALAXY-Note-ics-update-android-4In February, we reported that Galaxy Note probably would get the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS, aka, Android 4.0) update in March (together with Galaxy SII).

Obviously, Samsung missed the target. Galaxy SII users in Europe and some other regions started to receive ICS update about two weeks ago. Nothing for Galaxy Note users.

Last week, Samsung officially pushed the date to Q2. So, your waiting time should vary from one week to one week plus 3 months. Usually, when a phone manufacturer tells in Q2, it usually means June; it seldom means April.

The good news is that Samsung will bundle the S-Pen “Premium Suite” Apps together with your delicious ICS. You may watch the preview video of this  “Premium Suite” on Youtube. It is not so bad, anyway.

 

 

 …

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Samsung announced the big brother of Galaxy Note: Galaxy Note 10.1

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samsung-galaxy-note-10-1For those who complaining the (over)size of Galaxy Note, Samsung listened, and will give you an even bigger Note. It is Galaxy Note 10.1.

With a 10.1″ display, Galaxy Note 10.1 is obviously in the tablet camp. Although it comes with 3G (no LTE) connectivity, you probably will not use it as a phone: you cannot put it in a pocket unless you are a bank robber.

What differs this device from other tablet is its S Pen, and associated software and apps. The press release is lengthy, but the key point is clear: S Pen and the resulted productivity and entertainment.

Comparing this device with smartphone is not relevant. But compared to the 5.3″ Galaxy Note, the major difference is size (about four time larger) and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), which will be probably available on Galaxy Note in just a few days.

Finally, we see a really innovative tablet among Android camp, following the revolutionary phone.

If you feel the 5.3” Note is too small, you have a choice now.

If you feel the 5.3″ is too large for a phone, now Samsung makes it larger. Your only option is crawl back to 3.5″, and enjoy the fruity toy.

 …

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List of latest Galaxy Note reviews

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As Samsung Galaxy Note is heading to the US market, a lot of reviews for US (AT&T) version of this phone were published last week. Here we compiled a list of such reviews from CNET, PCWorld, engadget, phandroid, Android Community, as well as a negative review (seldom get) from Los Angeles Times.

1. Review from CNET by Jessica Dolcourt

cnet-galaxy-note-reviewGalaxy Note got a quite good review on performance, phone quality, 4G LTE connectivity, 5.3″ display, and the camera. The editor’s major concerns are: 1). the S pen is too small and 2). the size of this device may be awkwardly large for some people to fit into pocket.

So, the conclusion is:

The good: The Samsung Galaxy Note’s 5.3-inch HD screen is ideal for showcasing multimedia. It has 4G LTE, a great 8-megapixel camera, and a souped-up S Pen stylus that brings new ways to interact with your phone.

The bad: The Galaxy Note’s S Pen is small, has a delayed response, and requires a little training to use. The phone will be awkwardly large for some, and it doesn’t fit easily into pockets.

The bottom line: With its huge screen and throwback stylus, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a polarizing smartphone that winks at tablet territory. Those who like their screens XL will find a top-notch device that lets multimedia shine. The S Pen adds some artistic potential, but for some, the phone will just simply be too big.

Read full review here.

2. Review from PCWordl by Ginny Mies

galaxy-note-review-from-pcworldThe review is quite positive. The reviewer dived into some aspects that other reviewers overlooked, e.g., Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, S Memo. The reviewer’s major concern is the lack of apps for S Pen. Spot on. The conclusion is unique and impressive, but not for everyone.

 

Pros

  • Large, bright display
  • Snappy performance
  • Pen works well with user interface

Cons

  • A bit too large for a phone
  • Not enough apps support the pen

Bottom Line
With its large display and stylus-like pen, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a refreshing departure from the smartphone pack, but its design

…

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3 fast ways to create screenshot in Galaxy Note (Note II, Note 3 and Note 8.0 as well) without using any apps

You have different ways to take screenshot on your Galaxy Note devices.

By 57 Comments · ·

Update:  you can also use these 3 methods to take screenshot on your Samsung Galaxy note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. The methods works on all Galaxy Note family products.

Update 2: for Galaxy Note 4, the S pen method does not work. Please check this guide on how to take a screenshot on Galaxy Note 4.

Update 3: Galaxy Note 5 introduced a few nice features to make it even easier to take screenshot on Galaxy Note 5. You can even take screenshot that covers multiple screens.  Please follow this guide to take screenshot on Galaxy Note 5. 

Update 4: If you want to use the scroll capture feature (one screenshot covering multiple screens) in Galaxy Note 5, please follow this scroll capture guide.

yes, there are a lot of screenshot apps in the Android market (Play Store). But do you know you do not need any of them in your Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Note 8.0 to take a screenshot? The following 3 methods are also applicable for Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition.

With Galaxy Note, you have three different ways to take screenshot.

Method 1: use S pen

Holding the S pen button, then tap and hold to the screen. This is unique to Galaxy note. Other two methods apply to Galaxy S II and a few other Galaxy models. But this method need S pen, so it is exclusive to Galaxy Note. The best thing about this method is that  after the screenshot is captured, you are prompt to edit this screenshot (as you are holding S Pen now). Quite smart design!

Method 2: use Home Key + Power Key

Tapping and holding Home key and the Power/Lock key simultaneously. In the practical operation, you can  press and hold the Home key first, then quickly press the Power key.  This method  is mentioned in the Galaxy SII’s manual, but not in Galaxy Note’s manual. But anyway, it works. Actually it works on most Samsung Android phones.

This method does not work on …

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